There was no shortage of excitement Wednesday night as John 5 and The Creatures brought their guitar fueled act to Trees in Dallas. It was amazing to see so many music fans in attendance, some dressed in costume with face paint to mimic John 5’s stage appearance. To say that this was just a night of instrumental guitar music would not be giving this show enough credit. For those of you who recognize John 5 as Rob Zombie’s current guitarist, you will not be surprised by the mix of campy horror themes and brilliant guitar work that a John 5 and The Creatures show provides to anyone that loves horror movies and immensely creative and innovative guitar playing.
As the red curtain opened and John 5 made his way out onto the stage for the first song, the crowd in attendance was on edge to get the first glimpse of the stage setup that was inspired horror movies of the past. The band made their way through fan favorite “Season of The Witch” to start off the show and the fans were hanging on every single note that was played on John’s signature gold telecaster.
It would be an understatement to say that the audience was definitely getting into the whole vibe and loving every second of it. At one point in the evening John 5 spoke to the crowd and said they were recording segments of each show and the best performance from the audience would end up on a future album recording. He asked the audience to respond with “Howdy” when he directed and the call/response performance lead John 5 to proclaim that it was the best yet on the tour.
Overall, I have to say what truly amazes me is how diverse and eclectic John 5’s guitar playing is. Through the course of the evening he went from blistering guitar solos to country picking to covering a medley of cover songs and he performed it all with a technical know-how that wowed everyone in attendance.
After the smoke cleared and final notes faded away, John 5 and the Creatures took a moment to tell everyone that Trees is one of his favorite clubs to play because the crowds have always been amazing, and he expressed his thanks for coming out to see him and his band on a Wednesday night. If you get a chance to see John 5 and The Creatures on tour this year I would highly recommend attending to see one of the masters of guitar playing a very fun and enjoyable show.
– Robb Miller
– click to enlarge photos –
John 5 Tour Dates
March 7 – Oklahoma City, Okla. @ 89th Street
March 9 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ HiFi
March 10 – Akron, Ohio @ Empire Concert Club
March 12 – Sellersville, Pa. @ Sellersville Theater
March 13 – New York, N.Y. @ Iridium
March 14 – Poughkeepsie, N.Y. @ The Loft @ The Chance
March 15 – Teaneck, N.J. @ Debonair Music Hall
March 16 – Hampton Beach, N.H. @ Wally’s
March 18 – New Bedford, Mass. @ Vault at Greasy Luck
March 20 – Quebec City, Quebec @ L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
March 21 – Montreal, Quebec @ Piranha
March 22 – Ottawa, Ontario @ The Brass Monkey
March 23 – Toronto, Ontario @ Lee’s Palace
March 24 – London, Ontario @ Rum Runners
March 26 – Thunder Bay, Ontario @ Crocks
March 27 – Winnipeg, Manitoba @ Pyramids
March 28 – Regina, Saskatchewan @ The Exchange
March 29 – Calgary, Alberta @ Dickens
March 30 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Starlite
March 31 – Vancouver, British Columbia @The Rickshaw Theater
April 2 – Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Cafe
April 3 – Portland, Ore. @ Dantes
April 5 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Holy Diver
April 6 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Whisky